VulnerabilityPublished 7 Jul 2025Updated 9 Jul 2025

CVE-2025-6044: Google ChromeOS · Exposed Files or Directories

Affects Google ChromeOSSource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 6.1 Medium.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 09:08 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

6.1Medium

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 1% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N

Attack Vector: Physical
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: High
Integrity: High
Availability: None

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Physical: The attack requires the attacker to physically touch or manipulate the vulnerable component. Physical interaction may be brief or persistent.
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: None: The attacker is unauthorized prior to attack, and therefore does not require any access to settings or files to carry out an attack.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: High: There is total loss of confidentiality, resulting in all resources within the impacted component being divulged to the attacker. Alternatively, access to only some restricted information is obtained, but the disclosed information presents a direct, serious impact.
Integrity: High: There is a total loss of integrity, or a complete loss of protection. For example, the attacker is able to modify any/all files protected by the impacted component. Alternatively, only some files can be modified, but malicious modification would present a direct, serious consequence to the impacted component.
Availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the impacted component.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 7 Jul 2025
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 26 Oct 2026.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
Google ChromeOS	Affected =16238.64.0	Fixed in–

AI-suggested

Beyond generic advice such as applying patches (which are currently unavailable), European organizations should implement strict physical security controls to mitigate this vulnerability. This includes enforcing policies that prevent unattended devices in public or shared environments, using physical locks or secure storage for devices when not in use, and educating users about the risks of leaving devices accessible. Additionally, organizations should consider disabling or restricting the stylus screen capture feature via device management policies if possible, or configuring ChromeOS to require re-authentication for any screen capture or stylus-related actions when the device is locked. Employing endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools that can monitor unusual device interactions or file access patterns may help detect exploitation attempts. Organizations should also maintain an inventory of affected ChromeOS devices and monitor vendor communications for patches or updates. Finally, implementing full disk encryption and strong user authentication mechanisms can reduce the impact of unauthorized file access.

Description

An Improper Access Control vulnerability in the Stylus Tools component of Google ChromeOS version 16238.64.0 on the garaged stylus devices allows a physical attacker to bypass the lock screen and access user files by removing the stylus while the device is closed and using the screen capture feature.

Impact

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a tangible risk particularly to sectors where ChromeOS devices with stylus support are used in sensitive environments, such as education, government, and corporate offices. The ability to bypass the lock screen and access files physically undermines endpoint security, potentially leading to data breaches involving confidential information, intellectual property, or personal data protected under GDPR. Since the attack requires physical access, the threat is more pronounced in scenarios where devices are left unattended or in shared spaces. The integrity of data can also be compromised, as attackers might modify or exfiltrate files without detection. Although availability is not impacted, the breach of confidentiality and integrity can lead to regulatory penalties, reputational damage, and operational disruptions. The lack of a patch increases the window of exposure, necessitating immediate compensating controls. The medium severity rating reflects the physical access requirement but high impact on data security, making it a critical consideration for organizations with high-value or sensitive data on ChromeOS devices.

CWE-287Improper Authentication (opens in a new tab)
Class weaknessLikelihood of exploit: HighOWASP Top 10 A07:2025: Authentication Failures (opens in a new tab)
When an actor claims to have a given identity, the product does not prove or insufficiently proves that the claim is correct.
MITRE discourages mapping vulnerabilities to this broad entry; the root cause is usually a more specific weakness.
Architecture and Design · Libraries or Frameworks
Use an authentication framework or library such as the OWASP ESAPI Authentication feature.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
OWASP Authentication (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V2.8.5 (opens in a new tab)
V2.8.4 (opens in a new tab)
V9.2.3 (opens in a new tab)
Attack patterns
Fake the Source of Data (opens in a new tab)
Utilizing REST's Trust in the System Resource to Obtain Sensitive Data (opens in a new tab)
Session Hijacking (opens in a new tab)
Token Impersonation (opens in a new tab)
Upload a Web Shell to a Web Server (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

Community reviews

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 14 Jul 2025, 21:06 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-287

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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